President Bola Tinubu has again stepped into the escalating political standoff in Rivers State, holding a late-night meeting in Abuja with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and other influential figures from the state.
The closed-door engagement at the Presidential Villa is the latest effort by the president to calm tensions arising from the prolonged power struggle between the governor and his predecessor, which has paralysed governance and divided the state’s political landscape.
The intervention comes at a sensitive moment, following a fresh impeachment move against Fubara by lawmakers aligned with Wike, an action that has already triggered legal challenges. The Rivers crisis has been marked by a fractured House of Assembly, competing political loyalties, and repeated threats to unseat the governor.
The fallout is particularly striking given Wike’s central role in Fubara’s rise to office during the 2023 governorship election. Since their split, the rivalry has evolved into one of the most intense political confrontations in the country, drawing repeated attention from the presidency.
Sunday’s meeting represents at least the fourth time President Tinubu has sought to broker peace, underscoring the depth of the crisis and the federal government’s concern over stability in the oil-producing state.
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